Old Wolf 8” pedestal grinder - buffer/polisher conversion Qs

[Sawdust=manglitter]

I’ve been keeping an eye out everywhere for a suitable bench grinder to convert to a buffer for both wood and metal. This morning I picked what I think is a cracking bargain, I bought this ridiculously heavy old cast iron Wolf 8” pedestal grinder which still works for £20!!

So excitedly I got straight into stripping it down and to find out the spindle or thread size to try to convert it to a buffing machine. I took the right wheel off without a hitch and took off the guard etc, then I hit my first problem, the nut securing the left wheel appears to be completely stuck!!

I’ve left it soaking with wd40 in the hopes it will help, but does anyone have any tips on how best to get this nut loose without damaging the spindle (and ideally without damaging the nut)?? I assume I’m turning it the correct direction (anti clockwise, as the right wheel was clockwise).


Secondly, I have no clue at all when it comes to old imperial thread sizes. This is the exact size of the thread...

What should I be searching for as the thread size if I’m looking for a suitably sized tapered mandrel adaptor for buffing wheels/polishing mops?? I’d be surprised if I do manage to find one to fit, but I live in hope!!

Any help or tips would be greatly appreciated

 

[flh801978]

Most mandrills to fit on there are plain and just clamp on the spindle with a couple of grub screws
Looks like you may need a 16mm one

Ian

 

[Nigel Burden]

It could well be a left hand thread as it's the left hand wheel. I stripped the thread on the front left hand stub axle of my Morris Minor years ago by forcing the wrench not realising it was a left hand thread.

Nigel.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The OP did mention that.

 

[Trevanion]

I personally wouldn't be too scared to put an adjustable spanner on the nut and give it a clout to try and loosen it off. The shock from an impact does loosen most things but if it doesn't or you don't want to clout it, try heating up the nut if you've got a blowtorch or similar, that will make the nut expand slightly with the heat and loosen it up so it's easy to take off.

The left-hand thread should be on the left side of the motor and vice versa for the right-hand thread. Unless it's one that spins in reverse.

I don't think I've ever seen one of these in single phase before, very nice buy!

 

[AndyT]

For the thread:

Your gauge is giving you the answer. It shows that your spindle has 11 threads per inch. Look at a chart of Whitworth threads eg this one https://motalia.com/Html/Charts/bsw_chart.html and you will see that two diameters had 11 tpi - 5/8" and 11/16" - as also indicated on the gauge. Measure the outside diameter of the spindle with calipers or a vernier to see which of these sizes you have. The chart helpfully converts the fractions of an inch into decimals which makes this easier.

As for the other end, there are flats on the spindle, so I'd try two spanners, one on the spindle and one on the nut, and assume it's a left hand thread.

If that won't work, also try a sudden jolt. So get the best fitting spanner you can and give it a sharp knock with a mallet.

Nice score by the way.

 

[mrpercysnodgrass]

Plus Gas is much better than WD40. Heat is also good if you are sure it will not destroy anything else. If using heat I find the best method is to heat it up till its knhot , take the heat off, count to 20 (the metal is now contracting) then give it a slight turn to tighten (this breaks the seal) then immediately loosen.
http://www.plusgas.co.uk/about-plusgas/

 

[Hot stuff]

The one that's already off is the left hand thread, the remaining one will be conventional I'd have thought.
Heat and a spanner on the spindle flats, as already said, should do the trick. I'd be wary of putting too much heat near the stone, I'm not sure if those behave like concrete when heated with a torch? A face mask would be a good idea.
Another trick is to use two hammers and smack both sides of the nut simultaneously, that very often breaks the seal and allows you to give it a hefty wallop without risk of bending the shaft.

 

[Rhyolith]

I had this issue when restoring my wolf bench grinder: wolf-grinder-full-restoration-t111193-15.html Had to use double mole grips in the end to get one wheel off... which I woukd not recommend doing, it mullered the spindle. For me this didn’t matter as I was building it from the remains of two and the spindle was bent anyway, so I just used the other one.

At the end of the day its just a question of getting enough leverage without braking anything (hammer)

Something else you could try is putting a wedge under the wheel to jam the movement, this sometimes works, just be careful of it flying out under pressure.

 

[Rhyolith]

On a sidenote, I am genuinely perplexed what decade your grinder is from. I has the look of the later 1970s wolf stuff (particularly with the blue) but the alumium body is more reminiscent of the 1950-60s designs (like mine). I cannot find it in the 1977 or 1959 wolf catalog I have...

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

Thanks all for the tips and advice. That’s got me thinking now, the switch only works in the up position, with the middle position shown as being off and the down position not doing anything, and there are a couple of wires from the motor which are not connected underneath... So that might mean that it used to be reversible!?! So does that mean that the thread wouldn’t necessarily turn the way it would be expected??

I’ve already tried smacking the spanner with a hammer to no avail, but this is all assuming that the thread looseness the conventional way! It’s been soaking with wd40 overnight so i’ll give it another try when I get out the workshop today. And if that’s doesn’t work I’ll try the blowtorch trick (while wearing a face shield!).

I have no idea as to the age of the grinder, can’t find any reference to the year of manufacture. Rhyolith, nice restoration by the way! Will give that a proper read in a bit, thank you! I wasn’t planning on giving it a full restore, just get it functional as a buffer. I wouldn’t have the know how to strip it back completely, let alone replace the spindle (hence not wanting to damage it!). Will report back if no joy with the wd40 or blowtorch.

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

After trying it again having left it soak in wd40 overnight, no joy. Tried the hitting it with 2 hammers at the same time, no joy. Then tried the blowtorch trick, still no joy. So then I thought to myself, i’m converting it to a buffing machine and will never actually use it as a grinder, so I hacksawed the nut down to a small square as close as reasonably possible to where the thread of the spindle is, and finally after a bit of persuasion the remainder of the nut came off!!

So to my next question, for safety sake I had a good look at the electrics underneath (and disconnect the cables for the lights!) and my question is, what is a “duconol capacitor”, which was originally hanging down within the pedestal...

I’m a layman when it comes to this sorta stuff, so what is the purpose of this capacitor thingamajig? Reason being, it appears that it’s not currently connected to anything!? There are 2 frayed looking cables coming from the motor which looks like they used to be connected to the capacitor, but I assume they’ve come looks/broken due to the weight of this capacitor thingamajig hanging within the pedestal??

 

[beech1948]

Sawdust=manglitter,

WD40 is NOT a PENETRATING OIL. The WD bit stands for Water Displacement. WD40 has no use as a penetrating oil and is inappropriate in this case.

So first task is to buy a penetrating oil from say your local motor shop or mail order.

If you don't buy it then the very best penetrating oil is a mix 50/50 of brake fluid and ATF. Spray on /brush on then repeat every 2 hrs for a day or two or three. Patience works.

Heat and a big hammer should be the last thing you try.

 

[Trevanion]

Heat and a big hammer should be the last thing you try.

First time every time!

He's already cut off the nut so there's no need to worry

 

[Rhyolith]

After trying it again having left it soak in wd40 overnight, no joy. Tried the hitting it with 2 hammers at the same time, no joy. Then tried the blowtorch trick, still no joy. So then I thought to myself, i’m converting it to a buffing machine and will never actually use it as a grinder, so I hacksawed the nut down to a small square as close as reasonably possible to where the thread of the spindle is, and finally after a bit of persuasion the remainder of the nut came off!!

So to my next question, for safety sake I had a good look at the electrics underneath (and disconnect the cables for the lights!) and my question is, what is a “duconol capacitor”, which was originally hanging down within the pedestal...

I’m a layman when it comes to this sorta stuff, so what is the purpose of this capacitor thingamajig? Reason being, it appears that it’s not currently connected to anything!? There are 2 frayed looking cables coming from the motor which looks like they used to be connected to the capacitor, but I assume they’ve come looks/broken due to the weight of this capacitor thingamajig hanging within the pedestal??

There for starting the motor. A 240v motor won’t start without one, mine has it too. If its 3 phase then not sure if they work the same.

I’d wire it back in as you found it.

If the threads being a real ******* I found penetrating oil does not help much (WD40 or anything else). Try heating and cooling lots of times with a reasonably go with a big spanner each time... that nearly always works eventaully.

 

[Sawdust=manglitter]

There for starting the motor. A 240v motor won’t start without one, mine has it too. If its 3 phase then not sure if they work the same.

Ye, when I first tried it I could only get it going by giving the wheel a spin first to help the motor get it going. I’ve since spruced up the wiring and re-connected the capacitor, and once back together it started on its own . It runs surprisingly smooth, really pleased for £20!!

Now to get myself the polisher kit. Has anyone ever used ‘Metal Polishing Supplies’?? A kit they sell seems pretty good and doesn’t seem overly extortionate...

https://www.metalpolishingsupplies.co.u ... 1pc-8-x-1/

 

[Rorschach]

I've always been happy with stuff from "the polishing shop" but I am sure they are all selling the same products.

 

[marcros]

I have used the polishing shop too. I don't use much but they are my go to place when I do need polishing supplies.